More than just music

Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the October 2025 edition of Sandusky Living magazine. SANDUSKY — For the greater part of four decades, anyone who has ventured down Columbus Avenue to the shoreline has seen the picturesque double storefront that sits just left of Peddler's Alley. It features tan brick trimmed in maroon and windows adorned with posters for upcoming local live shows, making way to impressive displays of instruments just past the glass. The large wood sign above the threshold of the main entrance features two whimsical block-style words: Musicians' Alley. Since its debut, Musicians' Alley has been essential for area music lovers, but it has evolved into a landmark Sandusky business as it has withstood the test of time like few others. How it started The shop was the brainchild of two musician friends and Sandusky natives, Mike Matter and George Gast. Both Matter and Gast played guitar since childhood, and the pair joined musical forces in early adulthood both in band and business. They decided that helping the next generation learn music and providing affordable access to instruments was a part of their life's calling. "Back at the time, there were three music stores in Sandusky. In our mind, we could do a better job," Gast explained. "That job we was to always be upfront with our customers and loyal to them. Honesty is the best policy. We had some great guitar teachers in the beginning, too. We had Fred Kochendoerfer and Glenn Bluhm teaching when we first opened." When Musicians' Alley first opened business doors in January 1989, it did so on the opposite side of Columbus Avenue from its current location; The original spot was a rented storefront in the former Cooke, now Hogrefe Building on the corner of Columbus Avenue and Market Street. The music store's name is the result of a submission contest held with area school children. A new verse When the opportunity to purchase a building of their own arose, the business partners leapt at the chance to expand and make themselves a permanent community fixture. After completely gutting and remodeling, the shop settled into its permanent 151 Columbus Avenue home. Musicians' Alley sells just about everything one might need to start playing music or create a modern band. Though consignments and trades-ins bring the occasional wayward instrument, the store tends to not deal much in orchestra or concert band gear. But there is always an abundance of pianos and keyboards, drums, ukuleles, vocal gear, ampand, of course, guitars of all varieties; Musicians' Alley's impressive collection of guitars has always been a key element of the store. On average, there are more than 500 guitars in stock at any given time. Along with merchandise, Musicians' Alley offers lessons for piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, drums, vocals, cello and violin, as well as guitar set up and repair services. If a customer has a music-related inquiry, it — more often than not — can be addressed by one of the dozen staff members, making the store an amazing educational resource center. Meet the band In addition to Gast and Matter, the highly educated and talented team include: • Jaron White, who teaches guitar, bass and ukelele • Ryan O'Shaughnessy, who teaches guitar, bass and ukulele • Linda Dickman, who teaches piano and vocals • Brian Dickman, who teaches piano • Rick Lombardy, who teaches drums • Brian Stitak, who teaches drums, cello and violin There's also Todd Miller and Lance Horwedel, who set up and fix guitars, Becca Hohla, who runs the office, and Dylan Kendrick, who performs a variety of duties from storefront service to audio design, digital marketing and much more, essential to the stores' general operation. It's not just what is sold or the services offered that keep customers coming back continuously; it's also how each experience with Musicians' Alley is set forth: with seamlessness and a smile. Renowned customer service coupled with competitive pricing is what helped the small business prosper despite the desolate landscape of Sandusky's shoreline in the 1990s and early 2000s, multiple recessions and a global pandemic. With the renaissance of the downtown business district in more recent years, Musicians' Alley has been delighted to welcome a whole new demographic of business neighbors and customers to treat with the same kind-hearted and fairness they were founded on. "Every day now, there are tons of people downtown visiting from all over. A lot of those people have a musician in their family, and they stop in and often buy something for them," Gast said. "We have Cedar Point, Kalahari, Great Wolf and Sports Force [Park] bringing them to Sandusky, and the more things we have to offer downtown, the more people will come down and support all the area businesses that are here, too. Which is great because I want to see everyone succeed." Given its proximity to the Sandusky State Theatre and Ohio Bike Week, over the years, Musicians' Alley has seen its fair share of famous musicians through the door. Some of the most notable include BB King, Peter Frampton, Queensrÿche, Quiet Riot, Kansas, The Everyly Brothers and Hinder. An inspiration for others Additionally, the shop is responsible for helping turn out some talented auditory artists who went on to have successful music careers and do awe-inspiring things. One such accomplished musician was Gast's eldest son, Scott Gast. Before his life was cut tragically short in 2014, Scott fronted the popular Lake Erie Islands area band, the CoCoBeanOs, and played internationally with the Rolling Stones tribute band, Start Me Up. Through his good nature, generosity and talent, Scott inspired and encouraged many young musicians to chase their dreams, much like his father has always done with the store. "I enjoyed watching my sons grow up playing music," Gast said. "It was a joy watching them play together in the CoCoBeanOs, and I'm so proud that they've done things I never achieved with their music." Generations of musicians When he's not hard at work within the walls of Musicians' Alley, Gast enjoys spending time with his youngest son, Bryan, guitarist of the popular local band Hard Candy, as well as watching his two young granddaughters grow and play happily on his piano at home. "I've been around here a long time. I've had people that started here with lessons, and they came back with their kids for lessons," Gast said with a warm laugh, speaking on his generational impact of area musicians. "Now I'm starting to even see some of their grandchildren come in, and it's been wonderful." Despite many his age choosing retirement, Gast has no plans to leave the store, as he still loves coming to work daily after all these years. Gast intends to keep passing on the magic of music to the community until his dying day, and leave a legacy of love through his children and Musicians' Alley.